Business News

On July 10, VinFast announced that it had delivered 17,955 electric vehicles (EVs) to customers in Vietnam in June, bringing its total sales in the first six months of 2026 to 115,916 units, up 72 per cent compared to the same period in 2025. It also marked the first time a carmaker in Vietnam has surpassed the milestone of 100,000 vehicles sold within the first half of a calendar year.

Budget revenue from Vietnam's import-export activities reached VND264.795 trillion (US$10.59 billion) in the first six months of 2026, up 18.6% from the same period last year. The result reflects not only the strong recovery in trade but also progress in institutional reform, administrative simplification, and digital transformation across the customs sector, helping reduce compliance costs, improve competitiveness, and facilitate trade for businesses.

According to Ho Chi Minh City Department of Science and Technology (the drafting authority), although the city is a hub concentrating most research institutes, universities, and microchip human resources nationwide, domestic businesses are still facing enormous financial barriers. The high costs of training, R&D, and equipment investment are bottlenecks that the market cannot regulate on its own.

According to the National Statistics Office (NSO), total registered FDI in Vietnam as of the end of June, including newly registered capital, additional capital for existing projects, and foreign investors' capital contributions and share purchases, reached $34.65 billion, an increase of 61 per cent on-year. Regarding newly registered investments, 2,013 projects were licensed with a total registered capital of $17.39 billion, up 1.3 per cent in the number of projects and 87.2 per cent in registered capital on-year.

Central Highlands province Gia Lai attracted 168 new investment projects with total registered capital of nearly VNĐ165 trillion (US$6.3 billion) in the first half of 2026, putting it within reach of its annual investment target. According to the provincial Department of Finance, as of the end of June, the province had licensed 168 new projects with total registered capital of VNĐ164.9 trillion, achieving 98.8 per cent of the provincial People's Committee's target of 170 projects for the year.

The Vietnamese government has issued Decree No. 272, providing detailed guidance for the implementation of the National Assembly’s Resolution No. 253 on special mechanisms and policies to support national energy development during the 2026-30 period, introducing financial and ownership requirements to both domestic and foreign investors seeking to develop offshore wind power projects.

Ho Chi Minh City reported strong economic growth in the first half of 2026, with gross regional domestic product (GRDP) expanding 8.55 percent year on year, according to the city's statistics office. The service sector remained the main driver of growth in the first six months, accounting for 54 percent of GRDP and expanding 8.89 percent, while the industrial and construction sector grew 8.5 percent and contributed 32.8 percent of the city's economy.

Foreign direct investment (FDI) commitments to Vietnam reached a record US$34.65 billion in the first six months of 2026, up 61 percent from a year earlier, reflecting strong foreign investor interest despite global geopolitical uncertainties, the National Statistics Office said. The total nearly matched the $38.42 billion in FDI commitments recorded for all of 2025, according to data released at a news conference on Vietnam's second-quarter and first-half economic performance.